Ophthalmic lenses, such as contact lenses, are generally manufactured in automated production processes. Depending on the lens materials used and according to the production method applied, the contact lenses must be immersed in treatment liquids such as extraction liquids, rinsing liquids, coating liquids, etc., to obtain the desired lens product which may be worn in direct contact with the wearer's eye. For that purpose it is known to transport the contact lenses through one or more baths containing such treatment liquid or liquids. To achieve this, for example several containers each containing a contact lens may be arranged in a transport carrier which is moved along the length of the bath such that the contact lenses contained in the respective containers are exposed to the treatment liquid of the bath. Movement of the transport carriers is performed such that the treatment liquid always flows around the contact lenses contained in the containers. The duration the contact lenses are exposed to the treatment liquid of a bath is given by the speed of movement of the transport carriers and by the length of the liquid bath (in the direction of transport). Of course, in a cyclic transport system the cycle time and the length of the liquid bath determine the duration of exposure of the contact lenses to the treatment liquid contained in the bath.
It is an object of the invention to improve efficiency of the treatment of ophthalmic lenses, in particular contact lenses such as soft contact lenses, in liquid baths. It is a further object of the invention to improve the processes and apparatuses used for the treatment of the lenses in liquid baths.